Puzzle Pieces
by SSAEmilyHotchner
Summary: Oneshot. Hotch invites Emily over for a pleasantly surprising, very unconventional date - one that involves a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle. PURE FLUFF.


**Author's Note: So, I was reading this book about interesting and unconventional things to do on a date (don't ask why) and out of nowhere, this little jewel popped into my head! I honestly had a lot of fun writing it, and I sincerely hope you have _even more_ fun reading it. Enjoy the fluff! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. I solely borrow them and use them for the entertainment of myself and others.**

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><p>The doorbell rang.<p>

"_She's here!"_

Grinning at his son's excitement, Hotch grabbed Jack before he could run to the door and open it. Kneeling to his son's height, Hotch put his hands on Jack's shoulders. "Remember, buddy; no telling."

Jack nodded. "No telling, Daddy. I promise."

Hotch ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Good." And then, he opened the door and felt his breath catch in the back of his throat.

Emily stood before them, clad in a pale blue dress that fell to her knees and swished as she moved. Her dark hair tumbled in shiny rivulets down her back. "Hi," she greeted warmly, a sweet smile curving her pretty red lips.

"Hi," Hotch replied, taking the slender hand of the woman who had long since stolen his heart and kissing it gently. His grin widened as a beautiful blush creeped up her neck. "Come in."

"Thank you."

"_Miss Em'ly!"_ Jack exclaimed, nearly bouncing off the walls in happiness.

Pretending not to hear him, Emily made a show of looking around the house. "Aaron, where's Jack?"

The boy in question bounded towards her, all giggles. "I'm right _here_, Emmy!"

Hotch smirked, deciding to play along. "You know, I could've sworn he was in the room…huh. I guess I was wrong."

Jack pouted. "Emmy…?"

"That's such a shame," Emily sighed. "I was really looking forward to –"

She was cut off as two small arms wrapped around her waist. "_Em'ly!_"

Emily gasped theatrically. "There he is!" The room was filled with peals of Jack's laughter as he was swept into her embrace and spun around in circles. Setting him down, Emily couldn't help but chuckle as he stumbled into his father. "How are you, sweet boy?"

"Dizzy," Jack moaned. But still, he cracked a smile.

Emily's eyes crinkled at the corners as she took in the boy's dinosaur-covered pajamas. "Is it bedtime already, buddy?"

"Actually, it's _long_ past bedtime," Hotch said. "However, I promised Jack I'd let him stay up until you came over, and I always keep my promises."

"So do I, Daddy," Jack piped up, remembering their earlier conversation. _Remember, buddy; no telling._

Hotch's lips quirked upward at Jack's statement. "But Miss Emily's already here, Jack. You know what that means."

Jack sighed. "I know, I know." He gave Emily another hug. "Goodnight, Emmy."

She dropped a kiss into his sandy blonde hair. "Want me to tuck you in?"

His visage immediately brightened. "Would you? _Please?_"

"Of course," Emily answered sweetly.

And at that, the two were off to Jack's bedroom, leaving a completely smitten Aaron Hotchner in their wake.

~.~.~

"Mmm…something smells _delicious_."

Hotch let out a husky chuckle as he felt Emily come up behind him, place her hands on his hips and slowly kiss his neck. "Let's hope it tastes just as good, then."

"Aaron Hotchner, are you _actually_ cooking for me?" She breathed out a quiet laugh. "I don't believe it."

Wiping his hands on one of the towels hanging in the kitchen, he said, "Well, you've cooked for me more times to count, so I figured it was time for me to take some classes and rise to the challenge." His eyes fell closed as she took the shell of his ear between her teeth and began to nibble gently. "Besides, tonight's special."

"Special, huh?" Emily whispered.

"Mm-hmm." Turning around in her arms, he murmured, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Her eyes sparkled at the compliment. "Once or twice."

"Hmmm. It's the truth," he said against her jaw-line. "And good Lord, that dress…"

She smiled and twirled around for show. "You like it?"

"Very much so."

"I'm glad. Even though you said we're staying in, I decided to dress up for you." Emily leaned in close and brushed her lips against his. "Besides, tonight's special, right?"

Hotch answered her with a kiss so full of emotion that it rocked Emily to her core. Kissing him back, she raked her fingers through his short, thick hair and pulled him closer, swallowing his ensuing growl of delight as she scratched the base of his skull.

"_Emily_," he moaned.

She hooked a long leg around his waist as his lips found the heaving hills of her breasts. She whimpered. "_Aaron…"_

Right as thing were heating up, right as Emily felt the familiar pulsing between her legs…

…the timer on the oven went off.

"Shit," Hotch hissed, the front of his pants suddenly very constricting.

Emily groaned in frustration as he pulled away to separate the food onto two plates. "Aaron, this dinner better be the best thing I've ever eaten if it interrupted _that_."

The bulge in his pants grew as he gazed into her lust-darkened eyes. "If it isn't, you have permission to punish me," he said with a completely straight face.

Emily grinned as she moved to the dining table. "I like the sound of that."

Hotch surprised her with a hand to her arm, however. "We won't be eating at the dining table, Em."

"We won't?" She looked up at him curiously. "Then where?"

Taking her hand, he led her to a spot by the fireplace, where two trays and a dozen or so pillows were artfully arranged. The lights were dim, the music light. "Here."

Sweet laughter slipped from her lips. "Awfully creative of you, Aaron." They clinked their wine glasses together. "And romantic."

Hotch shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to try something unconventional for a change."

"Unconventional?" A mischievous glint shone in her pretty doe eyes. "The last time you and I tried 'unconventional', we made love in the middle of the backyard while it was raining."

"For two hours straight." He returned her smile. "I remember."

"Until mud started getting up my –"

"_Eat," _Hotch laughed, cutting her off.

Emily tossed him a smoldering glance. "Feed me," she countered.

Hotch chuckled at her demand but complied nonetheless, portioning off a bite of the tender chicken parmesan and holding it out to her.

A split second passed before flavor exploded on her tongue. "Oh my God, Aaron…this is amazing!" she moaned.

"So, I take it the classes I took were money well spent?" he asked, a handsome smirk playing at his lips.

"Definitely," she answered with a smile.

A comfortable, lovely silence stretched between them as they ate, each savoring the wonderful taste. Behind them, a fire roared gently, its enchanting yet wicked orange and red flames dancing about, to and fro.

"So, Agent Hotchner," Emily said after a while, "what activities did you plan for us tonight?"

He grinned at the husky tone in her voice. "Well, Agent Prentiss," he tossed back, "I was thinking of something along the lines of a puzzle."

"A puzzle?" Her dark eyes met his. "If that's some sort of metaphor, I'm game," she winked.

Hotch laughed. "No, Emily, I mean an _actual_ jigsaw puzzle." He pulled out a box of one hundred pieces from behind the pillows he was resting against. "Here."

"Huh." Emily took out a handful of the puzzle pieces. "I haven't done a jigsaw puzzle in years," she exclaimed. "Not since I was a teenager."

"There's always a time for something new, right?"

She peered at him over the rim of her wine glass. "Or something unconventional."

_Too bad it's not raining outside._ "Touché."

And at that, he dumped the box's contents onto the floor in front of them.

Fishing through the many small pieces, Emily began to group them by color. "What exactly is this puzzle supposed to look like when it's completed?" She flipped the top of the box over. "There's no picture."

"I honestly have no idea," Hotch confessed. "This is one Jack's and well…you know kids," he smiled. "They lose everything."

Emily smiled back. "I understand completely. Besides, it's more challenging this way. And I _love_ a good challenge."

"I know you do."

Several minutes passed before the two of them managed to form the puzzle's outside border. Dinner was long finished and the fire was slowly dying down.

Two glasses of wine into the night, Emily huffed. "Only seventy-something more pieces to go," she deadpanned.

Hotch barked out a quick laugh before leaning forward and giving her a chaste – but _long_ – kiss. "It'll be worth it, trust me." At her raised eyebrow, he added, "I have a prize for you at the end."

"Hmmm…" She kissed him again. "You could always give me my prize now."

He touched her nose with the tip of his finger. "Patience, my love."

And soon, they were back at it.

"Hey, some of these have letters," Emily observed. "I found an R, an A, an L…oh, here's a Y…"

_Crap. _"Yeah, I noticed," Hotch said, feigning nonchalance. "I have some here, too." A beat passed. "Why don't I try and piece those together while you figure out the rest?"

"Sure, Aaron, give me the hard job," she teased. But despite the little jab, she immediately set to work.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Looking up at Emily as he finished piecing the letters together, Hotch couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. She was leaning forward on her elbows, providing him a perfect view of her generous cleavage. Her hair had fallen in her face, causing shadows to dance cross her cheekbones, but he could still see the line of her eyebrows as they furrowed together in confusion.

She had never looked more gorgeous.

Finally, mere seconds later, Emily emitted a cry of victory. "I did it! I've pieced it all together!" And then she threw her head back and laughed. "This is _so_ not Jack's, Aaron. You made a puzzle of yourself?_Cute_," she teased, playfully hitting his shoulder.

With reflexes quicker than a cat's, Hotch took hold of her wrist and pressed a hot kiss to her palm. "Yes, I made a puzzle of myself," he muttered against her skin. "Do you want your prize or not?"

"Of course I do," she grinned. "But Aaron, the puzzle still isn't complete. There's one missing piece right here. And where's your part? Where are the…" She gasped as he fitted in the last few pieces of the puzzle. "The letters," she murmured breathlessly.

There, on the finished product laying in front of them, was the picture of Aaron holding a sign that read…

_Will you marry me?_

Emily gazed in shock and pleasant surprise as Hotch pulled, from his pocket, a simple yet stunning diamond ring.

"Will you?" Hotch asked, maneuvering so that he was down on one knee.

"Oh, Aaron…" Emily gave him the most dazzling smile he had ever seen. "I don't know what to say," she whispered, her eyes wide.

_She's so beautiful when she's flustered_, Hotch thought to himself. He caressed her cheek lovingly. "Say yes."

If possible, her smile grew. "Yes." Her eyes never left his as he slid the ring onto her slender finger, then brought it to his lips. "Yes," she repeated almost tearily. He framed her face with his hands. _"Yes."_

And then, they kissed.

Guiding her back against the pillows, Hotch moved his lips to her ear as he hovered above her. "Do you know what you've just done, Emily?" he asked, his voice thick with millions of emotions.

"What?" she responded sweetly.

"You've just made me the happiest man in the world," he choked out, closing his eyes to prevent from crying.

Slowly, Emily kissed his eyelids, the action so tender that Hotch felt his heart would surely burst. "And you've just made me the happiest woman," she said in return, lazily running her fingers through his hair to soothe him. "I love you so much, Aaron."

"Not as much as I love you."

They lay there together for a long, perfect minute, not speaking, just kissing, touching, embracing. _Loving._

Glancing back at the puzzle beside them, Hotch fingered the single blank spot that Emily had previously mentioned. "Want to know why there are only ninety-nine pieces, even though it's supposed to be a one hundred piece puzzle?"

Emily hummed in pleasure as he hugged her closer and buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair. "I thought the last one just disappeared under a pillow or something," she admitted with a placated smile. "Tell me why."

"_You're_ the last piece, Emily Prentiss. You complete the puzzle." He laced their fingers together and brought their hands to his heart. "You complete _me._"

And she continued to do so for the rest of their lives.

**THE END.**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: If you have the time, please don't hesitate to leave me a review or two - I always love to hear your comments, advise, feedback and other thoughts! :)<strong>


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